Tag Archives: Propylaea

Greece, the birthplace of democracy, is a beautiful, rugged country, steeped in history. It has nearly 1600 islands, but only 170 of them are inhabited. Half of the ten million population live in Athens. The bustling city of Athens is a good central point from which to see Greece. The white marble Parthenon on Acropolis… Read More »

A precious success of the golden age of Greek civilization, the magnificent complex Doric temple known as the Parthenon is the largest structure built in Greece, and it has crowned the top point of the city skyline (Acropolis means “upper town”) since the 5th century B.C. The amazing Acropolis is perched upon a limestone mount… Read More »

In the area between the Propylea and the Parthenon, a good many monuments attracted the attention of Pausanias, who was always ready to describe and repeat what he had heard about them, mainly about the votive offerings of the Athenians to gods and heroes and about the small shrines which emphasized the significance of the… Read More »

There are two characteristic hills in the Attica Basin: Lycabettus, the higher and steeper of the two, and the Acropolis, at an altitude of about 150 m. above sea level, on the slopes of which spring waters still flow. It is on account of these springs that the rock has been inhabited from the neolithic… Read More »

The Propylea was built not long after the death of Christ and yet its magnificence still astounds every visitor who comes. It is the very legendary entrance to the Acropolis. Experts agree that the gate was probably built around the 3rd century A.D. and was actually found by a French archaeologist named Ernest Beule in… Read More »

Everyone knows of the Acropolis, and knows that it is one of the most famous monuments of ancient times. In ancient Greek times the word actually meant “the highest point” in town. Ancient Greeks would build their towns on the flat land around a rocky hill this would allow them to better defend themselves during… Read More »

The word Acropolis in the ancient times actually meant the highest point of the town. The ancient Greeks used to build their towns in plains near or around a rocky hill that could enable them to fortify and defend it during invasion or wars. The word Acropolis refers to both the hill and the construction… Read More »

We enter the Acropolis from the western side which has always been the only point of access to the great rock. We enter through the gate, which was probably built in the 3rd century AD, and excavated in 1853 by the French archaeologist Ernest Beule. We don’t know precisely where the entrance was in ancient… Read More »